Shattered
by YourBlackButterfly
Summary: Elrond's sons learn that Legolas is missing. They will do everything in their power to find the prince of Mirkwood. But how will they deal with the things that had happened to Legolas? Will they be able to help Legolas at all? May contain some malexmale romance later on. *Takes place before the war*
1. Chapter 1

Mae g'ovannen!

I haven't written any stories for quite some time but I couldn't get this idea out of my head.

This is my first LOTR fanfic ever. Please don't be to harsh on me. Furthermore I want to tell you tht English isn't my first language, so sorry for the mistakes. I'm doing my best.

Now on to the story. I have an idea where I want to take it, but you never know what happens when you write it down. New ideas pop up or you realize other may not fit into your story as you thought they would.

Well I guess you all knew this already, but LOTR and any characters you may recognize don't belong to me. I wouldn't be here if they did ;) I'm jst using those awesome people, places and whatever may come up for my story.

Now have fun reading and don't forget to leave a review.

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Elrond was standing in front of his huge window when he heard a soft knocking on the door to his study. He didn't turn his gaze from the dark clouds gathering in the sky over Imladris. Elrond knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate on a likely needless discussion with one of Imladris' habitants he chose to ignore the knocking. The elf behind his door would leave and come back later. But surprisingly the door opened and quiet footsteps came towards him. Still Elrond didn't turn around. The intruder stopped in front of Elrond's large desk which was overflowing with scrolls, papers and books.

"Father?" Elladan's soft voice penetrated the silence but Elrond had yet to recognize Elladan's presence in the room. When the young elf didn't receive an answer he walked the remaining steps to stand beside his father.

Now two pairs of silver eyes grazed at the cloud covered sky without saying a word. Night was coming quickly and it got darker and darker. After standing beside his father for more than half an hour Elladan grew worried and turned his eyes from the landscape in front of him to the wise elf beside him. From his position beside Elrond, Elladan was able to see the frown on his father's face.

"What troubles you, Adar? Estel came home this morning. Elrohir is keeping an eye on him in case he _forgot_ to tell us about an injury. It is unusual for him to come back unhurt." Elladan explained.

Finally Elrond turned to look at his eldest, but after a moment he turned his head back to the window. When Elladan was sure his father wouldn't say anything Elrond surprised him and started talking. "It is not Estel I am worried about."

Silence fell between the two elves again. After a while it was Elrond who broke the silence. "The young crown prince of Mirkwood is on my mind."

"Legolas?" Elladan asked perplexed. "Did a letter from Eryn Lasgalen arrive?"

"No. Legolas was supposed to arrive here about three weeks ago." Elrond confessed, looking at his son again. "Thranduil was concerned about Legolas' well being. The young prince went on patrol after patrol and when he was at the palace he worked late into the night. Thranduil wants Legolas to spend the winter months here. He told me about his son's departure in his latest letter. Two moons have passed already."

"Adar, Legolas wouldn't take so much time to get here. Why didn't you tell me this before? Surely you must know that my brother and I care about Legolas a lot." Elladan looked at his father questionably wondering why Elrond chose to not to tell them.

"I had hoped Legolas was delayed because he had to attend to some urgent matters in Mirkwood but I am sure Thranduil would have let me known. Another possibility is that he couldn't cross over the mountains because snow fell early this year."

"Father, do you expect Legolas to be stopped by a little frozen water? I am sure he would have found a way to come here. Something must have happened to him." Elladan's expression grew more worried as the time went on.

"I fear it did. He should have been here long before Estel arrived."

"Will you mind when I take my brothers and go out to look for him? Surely you want to spend some time with Estel as he just came back home but Legolas-" Elladan began his speech to convince his father to let them all go but Elrond interrupted him.

"Elladan, you must not need to ask for my permission to look for Legolas. I worry about him as much as you do. But I will have to ask you to wait until the sun rises again. A storm is brewing and I don't want to have to worry about you three, too. Whenever you all go on an adventure together at least one of you manages to get injured."

"If you wish so, Adar. I will inform my brothers and start to gather all things needed. We will leave at sunrise." Elrond nodded and turned back to the window.

Interpreting Elrond's behavior as dismissal Elladan turned towards the door and hurriedly left his father's study. Walking towards the room he shared with his twin, anger slowly rose. Why didn't his father tell him before? Legolas could be seriously hurt and none of them did anything to help. Since the birth of Mirkwood's crown prince Elladan thought of taking care of him and protecting him as his job. Of course protecting Elrohir, Arwen and Estel was his job, too, but protecting the prince was different.

Without realizing it he had arrived in front of the door to his chambers. He knew his brothers were in Estel's room, but right now Elladan needed some time to process the information his father gave him. Opening the door he entered the chamber he shared with his brother. Before he knew what he was doing, his feet took him towards his window. There he stopped and watched the dark clouds hovering over the elven realm.

Where was Legolas? Had something happened to him? Why wasn't he able to protect the prince? His father should have told them about Legolas' visit. Why didn't he tell them?

Thinking over and over the same thoughts brought anger out in him. Anger at his father for not telling them about Legolas' departure in Mirkwood, anger that they were stuck in Imladris because a storm was coming, anger that they couldn't go out right away, but mostly anger that he himself couldn't do anything to help Legolas. That he couldn't protect him.

Deep down he knew the anger he felt was born out of worry but he didn't care. All he cared about was that he was helpless. He couldn't change anything right now. When something did indeed happen to Legolas, Elladan couldn't turn back time.

Releasing a scream he didn't know he was holding inside of him Elladan grabbed the thing closest to him and threw it across the room with as much power as he had inside of him. As the object shattered when it made contact with the wall his anger shattered, too. All of it was gone as abrupt as it came. He realized he shattered one of the vases decorating his bookshelf.

Slowly towards the broken pieces littering the clean floor he wondered what brought out the anger inside of him. Elrohir usually was the lively one of them. Elladan was the clam, thoughtful twin whereas Elrohir always had more of a temper and was more energetic. Kneeling down he carelessly picked up the broken remnants of the vase.

"Elladan?" The door banged open and the worried face of his twin and adoptive brother appeared. "Are you alright? We heard you scream." The twin asked, concern deepening his usually light voice.

"Yes, I am. I accidentally broke a vase." Elladan tired to avoid the statement of him screaming. Picking up the last pieces he slowly stood up and walked towards his small desk. There he dumped the fragments into an empty bowl to dispose it later. His hands were littered with bloody cuts. Fascinated he stared at the dark blood slowly dripping onto his desk.

Suddenly a hand touched his shoulder. The unexpected contact made him jump. Instead of pulling away the hand applied more pressure and turned him around. In front of him stood Elrohir an almost exact reflection. The only noticeable difference between them was the color of their clothes. Both twins wore white pants and grey shoes. Over their tunic's a grey belt held their small daggers. Elrohir's tunic was a deep red color, whereas Elladan chose to wear a dark blue.

"What happened?" Elrohir asked. Elladan didn't answer. With a troubled expression Elrohir turned his head towards the human standing only a few steps away. Aragorn pointed towards one of the large beds lining the wall. Carefully taking Elladan's arms, Elrohir lead his brother towards the bed and sat him down.

"Elladan, I will take a look at your hands now." Estel informed his brother before springing into action. "Elrohir get me some water and a towel."

Soon both of Elladan's hands were cleaned and having looked at them closer Aragorn declared the cuts as superficial.

"Elladan, please, tell me what is troubling you?" Elrohir pleaded. He was sitting beside his twin and was watching him closely.

"Father told me Legolas was supposed to arrive in Imladris about three weeks ago. He has not heard from Mirkwood or Legolas." Elladan explained in a quiet voice.

"We have to go look for him!" Aragorn explained, jumping up from the second bed in the room where he seated himself after treating Elladan's cuts.

Standing up Elladan put his hand on the humans shoulder, calming him instantly. "We will. Tomorrow."

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Well, this was my first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.

You did? Tell me about it.

You didn't? Well, still tell me 'bout it.

You want to tell me anything else? Don't be shy.

I don't know when I'll be able to post the next chapter because I have a lot of school work to do. I will try to update as fast as possible, because I will have trouble falling asleep with all the ideas in my head.

Now enjoy the rest of your day/night, whatever

Namárië

Your BlackButterfly


	2. Chapter 2

_I finally managed to finish another chapter. I'm sorry for the long wait, but school is keeping me busy. And I found Doctor Who and have been watching all the episodes from the new series... anyway I have holidays rigth now, so I guess I will be able to update sooner. I hope this chapter satisfies your needs ;) I don't want to keep you from reading much longer, so enjoy. And I'm sorry for the mistakes you may find - I'm not a native speaker and as German I tend to make more ',' than are needed. Forgive me._

_Oh and I don't own anything. But I guess you already knew that... _

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The moon was still high in the sky when Elrohir was woken by a sound his brain could not identify right away. Regaining full consciousness he was finally able to make out what awoke him.

"Dan, you should get some rest. You won't be any help when you fall of your horse because you fell asleep riding." Elrohir chided his twin brother for not resting as he promised after they had dinner with their father the previous evening.

Elladan turned from his perch in front of the window and walked towards his brother's bed. Elrohir moved to make room for Elladan and indicated for him to sit down. The twins looked into each other's eyes before Elladan broke the silence.

"I tried to rest but my mind supplies me with possibilities of what could have happened to our dear friend. I decided to do something useful and readied our bags and weapons. We will be able to leave before the sun has fully risen."

"And we will, brother. But for now we both need to rest. Even Estel managed to fall asleep. You know he doesn't rest easily knowing Legolas is out there and a storm is approaching."

The only answer Elrohir got was a sigh from his brother who looked towards his own bed with disdain. Weapons and three bags were laid out on top the dark blue covers. Without thinking about it Elrohir scooted over in his own bed to make room for his other half. Elladan understood what his twin was doing and looked at him gratefully before he slipped under the covers and curled into his brother's warm embrace.

"I wonder why father bothered to make sure we had separate beds a few years ago. We manage to sleep with the other most nights anyway." Elrohir commented because he felt Elladan's need to hear his voice just a little bit longer.

"Indeed. Thank you, 'Ro." Elladan mumbled into his twin's chest before closing his eyes and evening his breaths out.

"You are welcome." The younger twin answered before closing his eyes, too. Soon both twins wandered in the land of elven sleep, seeing possible outcomes of the next few days, but the presence of each other calmed them enough to find some rest.

* * *

Dawn came too soon for the tired human resting in the elvish halls, but his eyes opened anyway when the dark began to lighten outside. Aragorn stretched and sat up, rubbing his eyes a few times. With a sigh the stood up, leaving the warm comfort his bed offered but he had an important task set for the next days. He would ride out with his brothers and find his missing best friend. Briefly he wondered why they didn't come to wake him yet.

Having these thoughts in mind he began searching for the twins. His first stop was the kitchen. Maybe they decided to finish packing before waking the human. They often told him he could be a tiny bit grumpy when awoken by them. Fondly he remembered one or two occasions when he threw one of his knives at them when they disturbed his sleep. Maybe he could be grumpy when woken too early.

He arrived at the kitchen but his brothers weren't to be seen. The kitchen was surprisingly empty. Only two elves bustled around, doing one thing or the other. Shaking his head the future king turned around and made his way towards the bedroom the twins shared.

As he always did, Aragorn opened the door to their shared room without knocking first. He didn't know it any other way. When he was just a little boy he came running into their chamber without thought and when he grew older he simply ignored the manners taught to him by Elrond. Sure, it annoyed the twins but this made it so much more fun.

The first thing Estel saw when he entered the room was Elladan's empty bed, three bags sitting on top the covers. It appeared the elder twin didn't sleep much that night, but turning his head slightly he saw Elrohir's bed opposite Elladan's. Two identical heads poked out from under the covers. One set of eyes looked at him, while the others were still glazed over in elvish sleep.

"How long has he slept this night?" Aragorn asked, looking at his older brother with slight concern.

"He woke me a few hours ago, when he was readying our travel gear. He wanted to be ready to go as soon as possible." Elrohir supplied. The minimal movement Elrohir made while talking was enough to bring Elladan out of his slumber.

"You are talking too loud. Both of you. Be quiet." The tired elf grumbled.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty. Get up, we have plans. You will be able to sleep when we come back with our princeling." Aragorn joked. When Elladan realized about whom his brother was talking he shot up from the bed, earning a few protest from Elrohir.

"We need to ready the horses and tell Adar we are leaving, then we will be on our w-." Elladan stopped when he looked through the tall windows. Elrohir and Estel followed his line of sight and opened their eyes in surprise. A thick cover of snow covered the world outside.

Aragorn was the first to recover from seeing the freshly fallen snow. "Well, that makes finding Legolas more difficult… better we start looking for him right away. The snow will cover most of the tracks, so I guess we should start looking for him close to the Mountain pass. He would have taken his usual route, instead of riding around it. Legolas wouldn't have suspected snow this early in winter. Snow shouldn't have fallen for a few weeks, maybe months."

Elladan turned from the window to face his brothers. "You are right, Estel. We should depart soon. Go get dressed and eat something, Estel. I will find Adar and tell him we will be leaving. Elrohir, could you make sure the horses are ready when we are?"

"Of course. I will see to it right away." With that the younger twin left the chamber. Estel followed Elrohir out of the door after his stomach rumbled, which made the older twin smile. "Go and eat, human!" Elladan called after him.

Standing alone in the chamber, Elladan walked towards the window, leaning his hand against it. His eyes were drifting over the white scenery in front of him. Would the circumstances be better he would love the beautiful landscape, but his worry for their blonde elven friend overshadowed his appreciation of the moment. Whispered words were carried away by the slight breeze coming from the open door. "We will find you, mellon-nîn."

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Adar – Farther

Mellon-nîn – my friend

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_Sooo I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I guess it's time we get to know what happened to Legolas, don't you think so too?_

_Be kind and leave a **review** to tell me what you think. And when you found any mistakes - tell me - I'll correct them_


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again. **

**I just finished writing this chapter... sooo I hope you'll like it. For all my ear readers if you are a fan of Torchwood and Doctor Who I just started a story, check it out if you like. **

**Do I need to tell you again that I don't own any characters of Lothr? Well I guess you know that. I'm just playing with them... and I'm kind of sorry for what I'm going to do with them.**

**Anyway on with the story.**

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The three brothers were sitting atop their proud horses, waiting for their father to finish reminding Estel about wearing warm clothes all the time, to stay dry and to remember to eat.

"Ada, I will be fine." Aragorn interrupted Elrond mid-speech, earning a grin from Elrohir. "This isn't the first time I have traveled through snow. Besides I have 'Dan and 'Ro with me."

"And that is what troubles me, ion-nîn. Whenever you and your brothers decide to leave the house together one of you has to be treated for severe injuries." Elrond replied softly. "But I know you have to look for the Prince. I would ride out myself because Legolas is like a son to me but I have important tasks here. Furthermore I need to be prepared in case he needs treatment."

Elladan nodded along with his father's speech, knowing he only spoke the truth. "We will be save father. I'll make sure they behave." He sent a glance in Elrohir's and Aragorn's direction, before turning his horse towards Imladris' exit and the dull, grey landscape behind it. His younger brothers followed his lead and turned their horses around.

"Goodbye Adar." Elladan called over his shoulder, spurring his horse on at the same time as his brothers did.

"Have a save journey. May the Valar be with you." Elrond bid them goodbye. He watched them riding into the white landscapes for a few minutes before turning around and walking back into the warm halls. Elves may not feel the cold as severe as humans did, yet he did not enjoy standing in the cold, having the snow melting in his boots.

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The trio kept their horses at a measured pace, not wanting to tire the poor animals too soon. Treading through the snow was more exhausting and the cold, biting wind didn't help matters. Furthermore they didn't want to miss any sign of Legolas, yet their main search wouldn't start until they reached the Mountain pass.

"We should take a short rest." Elrohir stated after about seven hours of riding through the cold. He shot a look in Aragon's direction, noticing the slightly blue lips, his pale face and the tiny snow crystals clinging to his eye lashes, eyebrows and hair. "There is a cave close by. The horses need to warm up, as do we. We can ride on afterwards. Tonight we will have to make camp again, because the horses can't walk through the snow in the dark safely. It should be mid morning when we reach the mountains tomorrow."

Elladan and Estel nodded their consent, the human secretly glad to be able to warm up again. He didn't want to worry his brothers but he felt as if he was freezing to death. His face, fingers and toes had lost any feelings they had long ago.

The brothers led the horses towards a small cave, firewood was gathered inside already. When they traveled they often used this cave and stocked it with wood during the summer months. Soon a small fire was burning in the middle of the cave, Aragorn sitting closest to it, warming up his limbs. Elladan was bustling farther into the cave, while Elrohir was drying their horses. Soon 'Ro was sitting down beside his human brother. Both were staring into the flames when a hand appeared beside their faces, holding a piece of Lembas out for them.

"Thank you." Elrohir and Aragorn said as they grabbed a piece each.

Elladan nodded. "I will get some snow to melt it and make some tea." The eldest turned towards the opening of the cave and came back with the kettle filled with snow. He put it above the fire and waited for it to melt. Preparing the tea Elladan watched as color returned to the human's cheek, relieved that Aragorn seemed fine. He was worried when his twin suggested the rest. Usually he was the first who suggested such things himself, but worry over Legolas had overtaken his sense for his human brother's need for warmth and rest.

After resting and warming up for about an hour the brothers continued the journey through the snow. They kept riding until darkness fell and they couldn't go on without risking the safety of themselves and their loyal mounts. Soon they had found a cave. This one held no stock of wood for them.

"I'll be back soon." Elladan promised as soon as he dismounted his grey horse, disappearing into the night to gather some wood. Aragorn and Elrohir took care of the horses, making sure they were dry and fed. Both brothers changed into a set of dry clothes and only moments after they dressed, Elladan reappeared carrying an armful of dry logs. Soon a fire was started and Aragorn made tea for them to drink, Elrohir got their Lembas out of the bags, while Elladan changed into dry cloths.

"I'll take the first watch." Elladan commented, which earned him a sigh from his twin and a headshake of this human brother. "I won't be able to sleep anyway."

"Wake us when are to take over." Aragorn said before settling down beside the fire, falling asleep seconds after. Elrohir and Elladan stared at each other until the younger twin dropped his graze to the floor, having lost the voiceless debate between the two. Accepting defeat the younger twin made himself comfortable and wandered into a light slumber.

The older twin was sitting with his back to the fire, staring out into the blackness. Despite feeling a bone deep tiredness Elladan did not plan to wake either one of his brothers, knowing he wouldn't be able to rest peacefully. He heard his twin stir when half the night had passed.

"You ought to wake me, 'Dan." The sleep filled voice of his brother came from behind him.

"I saw no need." Elladan glanced to the side, watching as Elrohir settled down beside him. Opening his arms for the elder, Elrohir waited for Elladan to come to him. Elladan accepted the embrace of his brother gratefully. Resting his head over his brother's heart the twins passed the rest of the night sitting silently in the comfort of each other.

* * *

Reaching the Mountain Pass mid morning as predicted, the brothers let their horses roam free knowing they wouldn't wander off. They made their journey up to the top of the mountain, reaching the highest point when the sun was at its highest place in the sky.

"Over there." Aragorn whispered, pointing straight forward, where the snow seemed wrong somehow. Getting closer the brothers could make out bodies of dead orcs and wargs, which littered the ground. At least thirty bodies were strewn out all over the ground. Elegant arrows were stuck in foreheads, eyes and hearts of many of the monsters. Each creature was killed with a single shot. In a circle close to the edge another group of ten orcs were littered with deep cuts, slit throats, served heads and limbs and stabs into the heart.

"Something fell down the cliff." Elrohir stated, peering at the uneven snow and the trademark signs of something tumbling down an edge.

"Legolas was definitely here." Elladan quietly said, kneeling down next to a dead orc. Moving it to the side he pulled out one of Legolas' beloved twin knifes. "He wouldn't leave it behind. Those knives mean everything to him."

"How about we split up? One of us stays up here, while the other two search the ground below." Estel stated. His suggestion earned a nod of approval from both twins.

"I will make sure he isn't up here anymore." The younger twin stated. "I will meet you both when I'm done up here."

* * *

Aragorn wandered the plain field. On his left hand side the mountain reached far into the sky, while a forest stretched out on his right hand side, yet it was too far away to reach without a horse, especially after a fight with an orc pack as huge as the one Legolas had been fighting.

He was freezing but he held no concern for himself right now. Seeing the battlefield atop the mountain his worry for his closest friend grew with each minute passing without a trance from the prince.

Looking to the left and back to the right for any sign of the wood-elf, anything unusual at all, he walked on and on. Suddenly his foot got caught in a branch, which caused him to trip. Any means of steadying himself falling away as he couldn't get his foot free fast enough. Before he realized what had happened he was lying in the deep snow face down.

In whatever his foot got caught, he managed to free it without hurting himself and stood up. He brushed the snow of his clothes, yet the cold wet had seeped through it already. Shaking his head he was about to walk on when he heard it.

"Please." A voice behind him whispered. Shocked Aragorn turned around. It dawned on him that he didn't trip over a branch. Something had held onto his ankle.

"Legolas!" The human exclaimed, only making out the slight difference in the height of the snow now. He dropped down to his knees and brushed the snow aside. Shocked at what he saw he drew in a sharp breath.

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**Please be kind and leave a review. Thanks :***

**I'm sorry for all the mistakes, I'm still not a navtive speaker and I'm not a fan of beata-ing. As soon as I finish something I want to share it with you all. But if I did any mistakes feel free to tell me and I'll correct them. **

**Thank you all,**

**your BlackButterfly**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know it's been ages since my last update. I don't want to delay you with excuses and such things.**

**Enjoy reading and don't forget to review ;)**

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_"Legolas!" The human exclaimed, only making out the slight difference in the height of the snow now. He dropped down to his knees and brushed the snow aside. Shocked at what he saw he drew in a sharp breath._

Legolas' face was as white as the snow he was covered with. His lips held a pale blue. Numerous cuts and bruises covered his face and blood matted his golden blonde hair to his head.

"Help… Ego [S: be gone]… Estel…. Please… Edraith enni [S: Save me]… Á pusta [Q: Stop]… Help… Nîdh![S:It hurts]" Legolas whispered in a broken voice. His voice was so faint Aragorn was barely able to hear him and had to lean his head closer to understand the jumbled mix of Sindarin, Quenya and the Common speech.

With careful movements Aragorn brushed more snow from Legolas' pale face, noticing the slight pink hue to his friends' face. He quickly pulled the gloves from his hands and held them to the prince's cheeks. Even though being covered in snow the skin under his rough hands was warm to the touch. Too warm.

"Mellon-nîn, what has happened to you?" He questioned the fallen elf with a soft voice. A low man was the only answer he received. Using the loudest voice he could manage, Aragorn called the twins' names, hoping their elvish hearing could reach so far. "Elladan! Elrohir! I found him!"

While he waited for his brothers, the human began to dust the snow of his woodland friend. The more he uncovered, the more he wished he didn't. The elegant travel clothes of the prince were torn and dirty. Blood matted most of it. Through tears in the fabric he was able to see deep gashes, blood frozen to the skin. His arms and legs were bend in unnatural ways, telling a story of many broken bones.

Careful not to hurt his friend, Aragorn ran his hands over the broken body. The skin he touched felt cold to the touch. Even though the high fever running havoc in his friends body he was frozen. Broken bones jabbed his careful fingers more often than he would have liked. Thankfully the spine of the elf was unharmed.

Just when he finished his first examination of the prince, he felt the presence of one of the twins behind him. He tilted his head to the side and saw the worried form of Elladan sprinting towards him. In no time at all, the elf reached his side and fell ungracefully to his knees beside him in the snow. The following gasp was the only sound that left the lips of the dark haired elf.

After a few moments of silence the elf sprang into action and pulled the blonde elf in a sitting position against his chest. "His heartbeat is slow, his body cold. We need to bring him to Ada as fast as possible." Stated Elladan, his fingers pressed against Legolas' throat.

"Where is 'Ro?" questioned Elladan. Aragorn didn't have to answer before the second twin ran towards them, the horses galloping behind him. "Thank the Valar." Elladan breathed when he saw his brother.

As soon as Elrohir saw the blonde prince popped up against his twin, worry clouding Aragorn's and Elladan's features, he spread a blanket on the icy ground. With practiced hands Elladan and Elrohir lifted Legolas body onto the blanket and started to peel the frozen cloths of the cold body, while Aragorn began to unpack his medical supply.

"I wish we were able to clean his wounds." Stated the human, looking at the dirty cuts. "But it would take too much time to heat the water now." What worried the human more than any of the wounds could have was the stillness that came from the prince. Since he mumbled the few words, he didn't utter another sound, much less move. His eyes were open, even if barely so and they moved sluggishly around.

"Legolas, my friend, can you hear me?" Aragorn asked, his hand resting against the clammy cheek. The only response he got was a slight movement of Legolas' eyes. Elladan and Elrohir exchanged a concerned look over the humans head and continued with their task.

Soon all of Legolas' wounds lay uncovered, waiting to be cleaned and bandaged. Unpacking a few herbs and taking a bandage Aragorn began binding the worst injuries, while the twins began with splintering the broken limbs. Legolas right arm was broken in two places while all fingers of his left hand and three of his right hand were crushed. At least five rips were cracked, his left collar bone shattered. The bones in Legolas' left leg were broken into pieces, one even piercing the skin. His right ankle looked to be sprained.

Legolas right leg suffered from a large gash, blood clinging to the skin. His right shoulder told a tale of an arrow being ripped out in the middle of a fight, the edges torn and bloody. Both of his arms held deep gashes from swords and daggers, while a deep stab wound was present in the middle of the pale chest. Those were only the worst injuries. Numerous smaller cuts and huge blackish-blue bruises covered all of Legolas body.

"How can he be even alive?" Elladan whispered to himself, eyes traveling over the broken, bloodied body.

"I do not know, brother." Elrohir answered, shaking his head sadly.

The rest of the water they had from the night before was carefully dripped into Legolas' mouth.

By now the shadows of the oncoming night were falling over the white landscape. And with darkness came the heavy burden of making a crucial decision. "Should we ride towards Imladris or should we make camp in the woods?" Elladan asked his brothers. Staying in the open would surely mean his humans brother's death, while making camp could bring death to the injured prince.

Elladan didn't know what to do. He worried for Legolas' life as much as he worried for his brothers health. He cast a quick glance to the human and saw the pale face, ice crystals clinging to his hair, before he looked at his other half, asking for advice without words.

"Estel…" came the quiet moan from the prince.

"I am here, my friend. Do not worry. We will get you help." Answered the human, leaning in close to his best friend.

"Please… Nîdh!" Whimpered Legloas, before his eyes closed.

Hearing the hoarse voice of the proud prince, Elladan decided. "We shall ride towards Imladris. Legolas needs healing or he won't make it. We cannot risk losing him now." Determination shone in his eyes. "We will take the way through the woods. The horses won't be able to continue in this weather, when the temperatures will drop. The trees should provide us some cover."

With a glance in his human brothers direction, Elladan saw that Aragorn was glad about his decision. The human didn't want to risk his best friends life for his own health. The trees should provide enough cover for him during the bitter cold of the night. Nodding to the twin Aragorn carefully picked up the prince and carried him to the horses.

Elladan followed his brother and saddled his horse, holding his arms open to receive the blonde prince. Aragorn made sure that Legolas was save in the twins arms, before he took his bag from the other twin, who had packed the bag with practiced, fast hands. In his other hand rested the missing twin to Legloas' two identical blades. "I found it in the snow." Elrohir explained, binding both blades to the saddle of his own horse.

"Legolas will be glad when he awakens." Replied Aragorn, knowing how much the blades meant to the prince. The queen of Mirkwood gifted them to her son, shortly bevor she died.

"Shall I ride towards Imladris and inform father?" The younger twin asked, looking at his older brother for advice.

"Nay. It will take you almost as much time as it will take us all to reach home, even if we ride slow. You cannot risk speeding your horse through this weather and injure yourself along the way. And if we encounter problems along the way, I won't be able to fight while keeping an eye on Legolas at the same time. We will need you here, 'Ro. Though I am thankful for your offer." Elladan smiled at his younger brother before spurring his horse in a soft gallop, careful not to aggravate Legoals' injuries further.

Aragorn quickly took the lead, vanishing in the trees followed by the twins. The darkness growing with every passing second.

* * *

**Sooooo... I hope you enjoed reading this chapter and I hope I wasn't to hard on poor Legolas. After all the worst didn't happen yet... more or less... *evil laugh***

**It would be awesome if you told me what to improve, what you didn't like, what you hated, what you loved... or tell me about mistakes I made and such things. Just talk to me ;) - Be awesome and leave a review**

**Love, your BlackButterfly**


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